Vapor electric apparatus.



A. M. JACKSON.

. VAPOR ELECTRIC APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 8, 1904.

vPatented Sept. 30, 1913.

ALEXANDER M. .iA-cKsou, or scrinn'no'rnny,

NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A GOR BORA'TION OF-NEW' YORK.

VAPOR ELECTRIC APPARATUS.

i melts).

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 30, .1913.

Application filed April 8; 1904. Serial No. 202,149. 4

To (all whom it may co-m'ern:

'ity in the appended claims. itself, however, will be better understood Beit known that I, ALEXANDER M. JACK- soN, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Schenectady, in the county of Schenectady and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improve ments in Vapor whichthe following is a specification.

My present invent-ion relates to certain improvements in the starting means for vapor electric apparatus such as mercury vapor lamps, rectifiers, or thehke.

In carrying my invention into practice I make use of automatic means for rotating or turning the apparatus about its axis, and

so COHStILlhCt; the apparatus that the motion thus producedwill operate to start the normal current flow through the same.

The points of novelty characteristic of my invention are set forth with particular- The invention by reference to the following description taken in connect-ion with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1' representspne embodiment ofmy invention, and Figs. 2, 3 and 4. are views of parts of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 5'is a VIEW of a modified form of lamp made accordingto my invention; and Figs. 6 and 7 are certain sectional views of Fig. 5 -corresponding to diiferent positions of'the lamp tube.

In Fig. l the casing 1 with. downwardly and outwardly fiaredsides serves as a con= venient means for supporting a mercury vapor lamp constituting bodiment e same ime may a i l me envelop orexhausted containei'eonsists of a glass tube 2, of indefinite length, provided at some suitable point with a condensing chamber such for example as the bulb 3 opening into the tube 2. An electrode of graphite or other suitable material t is located at one end of the tube and is connected through a suitable leading-in conductor in may be connected in series the usual manner with a supply-lead 5. The

other electrode of the lamp consists of a body of mercury 6 carried in a lateral enlargement 7 at one end of the lamp tube. Before the lamp is started the mercury occupies a position in this enlargement 7 as indicated in Fig. 8. In this position one end of a filament 8 or high resistance con- Electric Apparatus, of-

ductor dips into the mercury'as shown and extends along the tube through suitable guides 9, 10 and 11 to the anodei to which it is electrically connected.

To provide for'starting the lamp I mount the tube so that it may be rotated through a convenient angle, as for example 90' degrees, whereby the mercury G, by the action of gravity, recedes from the end of the filament 8 and thus causes a starting are which immediately puts thelamp into operation. Various means may be employed for causing rota-tibn of the lamp; In the particular instance shown, however, the tube 2, which is represented asslightly inclined to provide for the return flow of mercury, has its upper end loosely rotatable in a sort of skeleton cap or socket 12- carried by a bracket 13 fixed to the reflector 1. The lower end of the tube is cemented or otherwise secured to a cap 14' carrying a-projecting shaft having bearings, formed as indicated in dotted lines 15, in the bracket 16 secured to the reflector 1 This shaft is provided with a pinion 17 adapted to engage a short rack 18 carried by the armature or core 19 of a magnet 20. This magnet is carried by the reflector l and when energized draws up the core 19 and, by reason of the coop erative action of the rack and pinion, rotates the lamp in a direction to bring the condensing chamber 3 upright over the tube 2.

In the final position the mercury (l sct- 'tles in the bottom of extension 7 as indicated in Fig. 4. In movingfrom one position to the other, however, the end of the filament 8 breaks contact with the mercury 6. If the lamp be connected in circuit while this operation is taking place the interruption of contact thus caused produces an initial starting are which, if the polarity be such as to make the electrode 3 negative. will give rise to an immediate starting of the mainarc or current flow through the length of the tube to the anode 4. g

The solenoid 20 for actuating the lamp with the lamp as shown, or if desired maybe excited in any other suitable manner. Y Instead of using a lamp of the type shown in Fig. 1-, I may employ various other types of apparatus, as for example that shown in Fig. 5 inwhich a. side branch, so called, or auxiliary electrode is used for the pur lithe pockets.

tube may be rotatably supported. The,

anode of' the lamp as before may consist'of a graphite cylinder-or shell connected by a leading-in conductor 'With' -a positive" supply-lead 25.- At the 0 positevend ofthe' tube 2 pockets 26 and 2 are formed and are filled with mercury to such-an extent that when thepockets occupy the position shown in Fig. -6 the mercury bridges over the space separating the pocketsjand form an electrical connection between the two bodies of mercury.

A curved solenoid 28,'w1th a curved core 29 secured to an arm 30 extending from the cap ormember 23, operates when energized to rotate the lamp tube As thisrotation takes place one of the pockets as pocket 26, is raised to a higher level than the other pocket until a point isreached where the mercury connecting the two pockets finally dividesover the bridge or-barrier 31 between Prior to this rotation of the tube I cause current to pass from the mere cury in the pocket 26 through themercury to the pocket 27 so that" when the} mercury separates over the bridge 31 an are or current flow takes place through the medium 'of mercury vapor generated from one of the This initial starting arc enerelectrodes. gizes one of the bodies 'ofmercury, as for example the body of mercury 32, as a cathode and has the elfect of causin" a second mercury arc to extend along the? tabs 21 to the anode 2 1. The starting of the arc of the tube 21 is assisted'by the presence of a car bon or otherhigh resistance filament 33 extending from the anode 24 nearly the whole length of the tube but unconnected with the- .mercury electrode. The filament may be .held in place by anchoring devices or guides 34 and 35. 7 v

In 'connecting up the lamp the positive supply main extends from 36 through a steadyingresistance 37 to ,the' positive lead 25 of the lamp and also to a supplemental positive lead 38 connected through a leadingin conductor 39 with one of the two mercury bodies .or electrodes. The no ative lead 40 extends from a leading-in con uctor 41 con- 'nec tingwith the cathode or negative electrode 32 and includes in series therewith the actuating solenoid 28.

After the apparatus is started it is genorally-unnecessary to maintain. the starting 1 electrode in circuit, for which reason I provide a cut-out device having a coil 42 in circuit with the lead 25 and operating when floples of this patent may be obtained for actuated to break the circuit of the supplemental lead 38 at the two fixed contacts as. This cut-out device operates automatically as :soon as the main current starts in the lamp. Itwillbe obvious from the foregoing description that numerous modifications in the embodiment of my'invention may be made without departing from the'spirit thereof, for which reason I do not wish to be limited to the exact details shown and described.

' What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters'Patent of the United States, is,

1. In a vapor electric apparatus, the combination of a tubular exhausted envelop, a pivotal mounting for the tube permitting itto rotate about the axis of the tube, electrodes in the tube adapted when the tube is rotated to make or break initial electrical connection with each other,-and electro-magnetic means'for producing a partial rotation of the tube or envelop.

' 2. In a vapor electric apparatus, the combination of an exhausted, envelop or con,- tainer, a pivotal-support for each end of the container, an electro-magnet for turning said container on its pivots,- and electrodes in said container or envelop one at least of which electrodes is fluid. I

3. Ina vapor electric; apparatus, the combinationof a: pivotally mounted, envelop or container, electrodes therefor one at least of which is fluid, and a filament extending from tainer is in the starting position, and a1mag-' net for rotating said container and thereby can ng separation between said filament and saidfiuid. v a

' 5. In a vapor electric. apparatus, the combination ofa pivotally mounted envelop or container, electrodes therefor, one at least of one electrode and positionedvto make and which is ,fiu-id, afilament extending-from one electrode positioned to be in contact'with the fluid electrode in 'one position of the container and means for partially rotatin the container thereby withdrawing the flui electrode from cont-act with the ifilament, my hand this 7th day of April,'1904.f

ALEXANDER M JACKSON; Witnesses: a

v BENJAMIN B. HULL,

HELEN ORFORD.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

In witnesslwhereof, I have hereunto set- 

